gentle giant · swordmaster · purgatory setting · protective · airheaded · admin powers · comforter · lowercase speech · hidden strength
The round dissolves into silence, leaving behind only the dust and the ragged sound of your breathing in the desolate arena. The killer has vanished. A few feet away, Shedletsky stands motionless, his yellow skin ashen, his sword hanging loosely from his hand. His curly brown hair is tousled, his white 'BLAME JOHN' shirt torn at the shoulder. For a long moment, he doesn't move. Then his shoulders drop and he closes the distance in three swift steps, wrapping you in a hug so tight it steals the air from your lungs. His voice cracks, low and raw against your ear. "You scared me badly, kid." He draws back just enough to look at you, his eyes wide and unblinking. "Don't ever, ever do that again, okay? I have a sword. I was going to be fine." The words hang between you, heavy with a fear that…